Trolley-bucket-rope take-up



May 31 1927.

H, v. HARDING TROLLEY BUCKET ROPE TAKE-UP Filed Nov. 26.` 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TTT f @2W @uefa/2%@ 1,631,030 May 31 1927" H, v. HARDING TROLLEY BUCKET ROPE TAKE-UP Filed Nov. 26. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 "Il, I

' the rail of the trolley bucket.`

' 1B alongwhich the trolley travels.

Patented May 31, 1.927.

initie* reim, 'A conronemro'nor New YORK.'

'TRoLLnY-BiicKET-RorE Tann-Ur; *i

.Application vaiedjinventer 26.1926.A serial n. 15e,e02.-I

This vinvention* relates generally. to trolley bucketinstallations, and :aims tok provider means for automaticallytaking;- up the slack in the trolley rope and:.-for'inaintaining the rope-.under substantially' Constant; tension, so that slippage of thecropef on -theidriving V;

drumfwvll be minimized, jwhile .excessive strains will be obviated. f

The invention vmaybe understood by ref-ll erence to oneillustrative embodimentshown in the 'accompanying drawings, in which:

Y Fig. `1 is a diagrammatic view showing in elevation a :trolley bucket installation equipped with av rope takefup;

Fig.; 2 is a longitudii'ial section .of the.

take-up carriageonA aflarger scale; v

Fig. 3 is a bottomplan view ofthe take'- up'carriacfe; andv v Fig. 4 is a sectionfon line 4 4 of Fig. 2j`

showing' the carriage-supporting rollers on Because of the satisfactory service and ease of control obtainable, many trolley bucketinstallations em ilo 'the two ro ie s 1stem, wherein one pmvernctuated rope hoists andflowers'the bucket while theother. l rope, which, is entirely independe'nt,causes the bucket vto` travel, backfanvdforth between the i loadingand dischargepoints; A typical in fstallation, is shown. indlig.I 1, and includes a bucket 5, a hoist-rope@ supportingthe bucket, and a traverse or trolley Vro`pe17 for effecting'. horizontal travel.` of theV bucket'.

The hoist rope 6 is woundon the drum ofan engine '8, passes over sheaves 9 of the trolley l0 and under the bucket sheave 11,`

and is secured as at 12 to the elevated track Hence the weight of the bucket is effective to take upv slack' in the hoist rope. 0n the other hand, the trolley rope 7 is secured to the opposite ends of the trolley, Vasiat 14, land is guided'by idler sheaves tothe trolley engine 15, being wrapped Vvabout ther two grooved drums thereof to assure the utmost traction possible.

'An installation such as the oneV described may give constant trouble because of kslippage of the trolley rope.. Each time the bucket is started, its inertia must be overcome by the mere frictional y.Q'rip of the rope on the `ig'roov'ed drums. AVhen the bucket is stopped, the braking of `,one or both of the drums can act only'through one end of the rope to stop the bucket, the momentum 4of whichmay be very great; Slip'page may screw ta'ke--up-,nbutdueto theastretching of' the rope, such .a take-,up f is. 'quiteounsatis--` i factory it must `be *constantly adjusted,- and it may .put farftoo heavy a strainA on the rope, causing 'further-stretching .of therope and an unnecessarily heavy loadV onthe :bealrings ofthe sheaves and; drums. 'Furthermore, thetake-up is usually upon-the-track,

where it is diiicult to :reach,: witli the yresul-t4 that rit is `not looked after often-enough.

The invention provides an automatic take-.ff

up, requiring' no adjustments; and scarcely any attention. Y s I 1n th-e illustrative embodiment .of'Fig;,.1,'

the trolley rope 7 passes fromwthetrolley around a guided idler sheave l'and'thence to thefdrumsv Tension 'is yput on 4the rope by'lcon'necting a cable17to'thesheave andl suspending a heavy"weight 18 from the lower end of the ca -blc,faii'idler `l19 beng usedv'to'guide the cable. Vith thisarrange-f-f.

ment, ifthe weight properly selcctethfthe vcorrect tcnsioiiwill be puton therope ito Y' insure maximum. traction,' and yet. yieldingf ofv the rope -will be permitted,,responsive to the jerk'of asudden; start. l To support the idleisheave 1G, a travel.n

l .ing carriage-is provideththcdetails of which are sliown'in Figs. 2,53 kand4.A The carriage shown consists` ofa .-fraineQO, carried by-a bracketY 21 1andvrollers 22 whichrun over v the monorailor track 13@ The idler sheave 1G rotates about a vertical axle 423-whosel upper end is supported by the bracket 21, and anti-friction bearings 24 are preferably provided as shown. For lubricationl of the sheav'e, a conduit 25 is secured to the lower end ofjthe axle and'extends outwardly from the carriage and has a force feed nipple? 26 placed so kthat a supply-of grease sutii-r cientv for a considerable interval of time `may be forced into theV bearing, To guide the ,Y i ico trolley rope, rollers 27 are provided at one end ofthe carriage, and turn on a common horizontal axis, being so arranged that thev rope passes from the tops of the rollers tothe idler sheave substantially without deviation.

In operation, each time the bucket is suddenly started the take-upv yields, as is evidenced by the weight which smoothly rises or falls a few inches and then returns toits noi'inalposition. In spiteof thisl nev t movement of thefcarriageythe tension on the trolley rope is constant,Y because it is l l 'solely` due to `gravity.' lllh'en the f rope stretches,asH it always does when new,.no`

matter what'm'aterial it is made of', .the stretch is automatically taken care of with-V outadjustment of any parts. The take-up is entirely independent oi'thebucketr ropes and therefore doesnot move lwhen. the bucket travels, but only responsive to sudden heavyr strains on the trolley rope, and then 'or f onlyy a few inches,.without slackening of the rope tension. If the take-up ever `becomes inoperative, as from breaking of the weightsupporting rop-e, the bucket ,may stillbe hoisted and'lowered,v Usually such breakage maybe foreseen and hence prevented. If a' change in the tension is desired, .it is not .difficult to change the weight. 1

Obviously'the presentinvention is not .restricted Lto the 'particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described. More,- over, it is not indispensable 'that all the features of the invention be used' conjointly since they maybe employed advantageously incvarious combinations and sub-combina'- w tionsias defined in the claims.v

What is claimed is: Y n 1.;A trolley bucket installation comprising,` vin combination, anelevated track; a

Vtrolley movable alongfthe track; a bucket cured to the opposite ends ofthe trolley;

supported by the trolley; a rtrolley rope se- Y means for driving thetrolley 'rope v'to cause the bucketV to travel; a carriage movable alongguides ;v a sheave mounted onlsaidcar-y riage; the Ytrolley -rope passing Afrom the.

trolley around said sheaveand thence' to the driving,r means; and aL yieidable 'slack take-up` device connected with the sheave carriage so asV to maintainr the trolley rope 'at all ltimes Vunder substantially constant tension.` Y i 2. A trolley bucket installation comprising, in combination, 'Y an elevated track; a

' ...Les-noso supported by the trolley; atrolley ropesef curedto the opposite ends of the trolley;

trolley movable along the track;ja lbucket means for driving the trolley rope to .cause c the bucket tol travel; a carriage movable Y,

alongrtlie track; asheave on said carriage; the trolley rope 'passing from` the trolley 'around said sheave and thenceto the driving means; anda gravity actuated slack take-up device connected with' the sheave carriage so as toA maintain'. the `trolley lrope -at all times under substantially constant tension, -and-` so to" yield responsive to*YV heavy strains on the rope.l

3; A trolley bucket installation compris-y ing, Vin combination, an vr-elevated `track; va trolley movable along lthe track; afbucketsupported by the trolley a` trolleyrope se-L cured to the oppositeA ends of the trolley; means tor drivingv the trolley rope to cause the bucket to travel; a Carriageamovablei along the/track; a sheave on thecarriage;

the trolley rope passingrom the trolley around' said sheave 'and thence tothe 'driving I means; a line' connected at one endwith thecarriage, a heavy weight at the other end of the' line; and a roller ,supported by the sheave'; said idlers arranged so that the 1 ropepasses thereto without contact with any vthe track to change the direction oi pull' .tor conveyor rope take-ups Y part of the frame; a bracket secured to 'the-' carriage; and rollers carried on the bracket y for travel on rails, whereby the carriageaisV guided j and supported. A f

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specilication.

HOWARD, v. HARDrNe.' 

